AT-TUWANI, HEBRON, February 8, 2011 (WAFA) - Jewish settlers Monday chased and terrorized a group of 12 Palestinian schoolchildren who were walking home from school, Tuesday said an international human rights monitoring group.
The Israeli military was supposed to provide escort to the schoolchildren as they walk by Jewish settlement outposts going back and forth between their village and school.
When the army failed to arrive, the children were forced to take a longer path without the army's escort, said Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), whose members walked with the children to provide them with protection.
“Shortly after the schoolchildren and (CPT) volunteers set out on the path towards Tuba and Maghayir al-Abeed villages,” said CPT, “(three) Israeli settlers, two of whom were masked, emerged from the grouping of trees, which encompasses Havat Ma'on (settlement outpost), and began moving towards the children.”
Upon seeing the settlers, CPT added, “the children turned and sprinted to distance themselves from the settlers. Several children began crying and screaming in fear as they ran away from the settlers. One young girl began shaking uncontrollably as soon as she stopped running from the settlers.”
The Israeli Border Police, who were located on an adjacent hill for the duration of the incident, arrived at the scene after the Palestinian children had safely distanced themselves from the settlers.
The Border Police stopped and spoke with the settlers, two of whom remained masked during the entire conversation with the authorities.
The Border Police then approached the edge of At-Tuwani village where the children, CPT volunteers, and Palestinian adults had gathered. Border Police officers spoke with a CPT volunteer and an At-Tuwani resident, seeking to understand what had happened, said CPT.
“After hearing their accounts but refusing to hear the role the settlers had played, the officers suggested that the Palestinian children, internationals, and At-Tuwani villagers were the ones causing problems, rather than the settlers,” according to the international volunteers
Before the children had set out on the longer path without the military escort, CPT volunteers had called the Israeli military four times inquiring as to the whereabouts of the escort, they said.
During CPT's final call to the military – more than 30 minutes after their initial call – the military dispatch office said that they had not yet called the soldiers, who were to provide the escort, because they were too busy and had more important duties to perform.
Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.
M.A.
